FLINT, Mich. -- Adrian Hunter was quiet and reserved, as any kid would be entering a new school system.

He'd spent his entire life in the Flint Community Schools before transferring to Grand Blanc in 10th grade. He was in an enormous school, knowing very few of his classmates or basketball teammates.

"I came in and I was real timid at first," Hunter recalls. "Most of the time when you're in the Flint schools, you play with kids you've been around your whole life. Tyrone (Ward) was there; that was basically it. I got used to it."

Basketball allowed Hunter to earn friends and respect in his new school. By 12th grade, he'd undergone a complete transformation into the vocal leader of a young Grand Blanc team.

He'd established himself as one of the best players in the Flint area his junior year, but became even more valuable this season by developing the intangible of leadership.

In the end, it was his ability to lead the Bobcats to a two-game sweep of Powers Catholic that made Hunter the Player of the Year on The Journal's All-Area boys basketball team. His closest competition for the award was Powers Catholic junior Shane Moreland, the area's only All-State selection.

The All-Area team is comprised of Hunter, Moreland, Northwestern junior DeAndre Upchurch, and Carman-Ainsworth seniors Jon Lee and Reggie Stallings.

Beecher's Mike Williams is the Coach of the Year.

Hunter was Grand Blanc's only returning starter. The Bobcats' regular rotation had three sophomores who needed the guidance of a senior leader.

It was a role Hunter embraced immediately, if not effectively.

"Everything I had to do had to have a positive end to it," Hunter said. "I wasn't used to giving positive criticism. I grew a lot as a leader this year, because the coach put it upon my shoulders. He said, 'The young guys look up to you and are going to do what you ask them. Lead them the right way.' It was fun as the year went on. Me and the coach bumped heads a few times, but after that everything was positive."

Part of Hunter's role as a leader was to get his teammates involved offensively. However, the role also demanded that he recognized when it was his time to take over.

The right time to take over turned out to be Jan. 4 against Powers, when he scored a career-high 40 points in an 82-76 victory over a team that eventually played in the state Class B championship game.

In the rematch Jan. 29 at Powers, Hunter scored 11 of his 16 points in the final 2:42 to lead Grand Blanc to a 49-47 come-from-behind victory. He also hit the game-winning 3-pointer against Flushing on Feb. 11.

"He became a better leader during the course of the season," Grand Blanc coach Chris Belcher said. "Early on, he had certain expectations. As our season progressed and we started out 6-4, he realized he was going to have to change the way he was leading the team for us to be successful."

Hunter, who received a basketball scholarship to Central Michigan, averaged 17.5 points and 7 rebounds.

Moreland scored in double figures in all 28 of Powers' games, averaging 19.3 points, shooting 55 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range. He also led the team with 82 steals and averaged 4 assists.

Lee, a two-time All-Big Nine pick, averaged 12 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2.5 steals for a Carman-Ainsworth team that won Big Nine and district championships.
Stallings averaged 12 points and 6 rebounds for Carman-Ainsworth. The Cavaliers were 14-1 when Stallings scored in double figures, 6-3 when he didn't.

Upchurch was the city scoring champion at 18.9 points a game, including 24 against Powers, 32 against Beecher and 18 vs. Saginaw, all state finalists. He shot 49 percent from the field and 36 percent from 3-point range.

Beecher's program has made tremendous strides in Williams' four years as head coach.
The team won three games his first year and nine his second year.

The Buccaneers have been eliminated by the eventual Class C state champs the last two years, by Bath in overtime in the regional final last season and by Kalamazoo Christian in the state championship game this year.